What a waste of my time!!!

Sadly Over-hyped

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Released in 1960 and directed by Sidney Lumet from Tennessee Williams' screenplay, "The Fugitive Kind" is a B&W southern Gothic drama starring Marlon Brando as loner minstrel Val "Snakeskin" from New Orleans in pursuit of a new life and the people with whom to live it. He stumbles upon a Mississippi town and gets a job at a mercantile store, which is run by a lonely passed-her-prime woman, Lady (Anna Magnani). While Snakeskin works the store downstairs, Lady's terminally ill husband is bedridden upstairs (Victor Jory). Joanne Woodward plays a histrionic beatnik while Maureen Stapleton is on hand as a housewife enamored by Snakeskin. R.G. Armstrong appears as the redneck sheriff.The first time I watched this movie (in 2008) I didn't much like it, probably because I wasn't familiar with Williams' stagey, melodramatic style of writing. However, after just viewing Williams' "The Night of the Iguana" (1964) and really appreciating it, I had a taste for more and so gave "The Fugitive Kind" a second chance. I'm glad I did because, this time, I was able to discern its highlights and got a lot more out of it.Marlon was in the midst of my favorite period of his career while filming this movie. Arguably his greatest films, "The Young Lions" (1958), "One-Eyed Jacks" (1961) and "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962), were all shot during this time. While "The Fugitive Kind" is easily the least of these it's worth checking out for a number of reasons, as long as you're in the mood for a talky adult melodrama. Like "The Night of the Iguana," this is a brooding rumination on the nature of existence. As such, there are numerous treasures to glean from the seemingly interminable dialogues. The movie's overlong and could've been tightened up, but the interspersed riches hidden within make it worth staying with, but you have to be a seasoned adult to appreciate it or, at least, mature for your years.Woodward's beatnik character is interesting as she's basically a hippie before hippies existed. Although her character is histrionic and somewhat annoying, some of her reflections are poignant, like in the interesting cemetery scene with Snakeskin. Emory Richardson is almost fascinating as Carol's silent black friend in a racist community. Some of their platonic imagery together is unexpected and intriguing for a film shot in 1959.Brando was 35 during filming and became the first actor to make $1 million for a single film (although Elizabeth Taylor earlier signed a $1 million contract for "Cleopatra," that movie wasn't released until 1963). Magnani was 51 and hot to sleep with the star, but Marlon didn't find her attractive which, needless to say, negatively affected the shoot. This is surprising because some of their scenes together are quite good. I incidentally had an Italian neighbor who passed away six weeks ago who was strikingly reminiscent of Magnani's character, both looks-wise and temperament-wise. So I know firsthand that people like her exist.The film runs 119 minutes and was shot in Milton, New York.GRADE: B

The Fugitive Kind (1960) was directed by Sidney Lumet. The movie is adapted from the play, "Orpheus Descending," by Tennessee Williams who also was co-writer of the script.In the classic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, Orpheus is a musician, whose young bride Eurydice dies. Orpheus descends to the Underworld, where his music is so wonderful that he is allowed to bring Eurydice back from the dead. However, just as he is about to succeed, the plan fails, and Eurydice remains in the Underworld. Shortly afterward, Orpheus himself is killed.In the movie, Marlon Brando plays Valentine 'Snakeskin' Xavier, who is a musician, and who is symbolically Orpheus. Val arrives in a small town in the deep South, which, at the time, could certainly serve as a symbol of the Underworld. Anna Magnani plays an Italian shopkeeper, Lady Torrance, who is married to Jabe Torrance, a harsh, evil man, who is fatally ill. She could be Eurydice, although Williams gives us a second lost soul, Joanne Woodward as Carol Cutrere, a rich, beautiful young alcoholic. Woodward is always drunk, and always seductive. I think Williams perceived her as a life force, even if the life she was leading was self-destructive. (I don't see where she fits into the Orpheus and Eurydice tale, but there she is every so often--drunk and unable to drive home because, "The took away my license again.")According to IMDb, Brandon is considered the greatest film actor of the 20th Century. Maybe, maybe not. By the time this film was shot, he was 36, and his face had lost the sharp angles it had had in his earlier great films. He is treated in the film as a man no woman could resist, and maybe that was true in small-town Mississippi, but it was a stretch for me. Brando's great achievement was Method realism, and it didn't work for me in his film.The opening scene shows Val in court, being lectured by a judge. We can't see the judge-- the scene is shot from his POV. We see Brando mumbling his way through the questioning. "Yeah, I had to hock my guitar. I couldn't bear to think of my guitar being in hock, so I kinda broke up the place." "As soon as I get my guitar out of hock, I'm leaving New Orleans." I found the scene painful.The question is, Why see the picture at all? See it for Magnani. Magnani plays a middle-aged woman, who falls in love with Brando, as expected. A reasonable choice for her under the circumstances, but not a wise one. Magnani was often compared to Sohia Loren. They were both Italian, and both beautiful, but that's where the similarity ends. Loren was impossibly beautiful. Magnanii had a beauty that was not impossible. You can imagine her as someone you might encounter, even at the in a mercantile store in the deep South. Her acting was superb. She was a strong person, but the circumstances forced her to be far less than she could have been.Some films from 1960 appear as alive as they did when they were made. The Fugitive Kind feels dated--almost a classic movie whose time has passed. However, it's worth seeing for Magnani's outstanding, exactly right, performance. The film is mostly shot indoors, and will work on DVD. It's a part of movie history, and is worth seeing, but don't expect a timeless masterpiece.Note: Look for Maureen Stapleton as Vee Talbot, who is so downtrodden by her sheriff husband that she has left the real world and escaped into her own world of painting.Note: If you want to see the Orpheus legend truly captured on film, watch Black Orpheus, set in Brazil during Carnival. It's adheres to the Orpheus legend much more closely, and you care more for the characters.

Marlon Brando plays a drifter that wanders into town in this Tennessee Williams film. As soon as he arrives, he receives some help but a nice but addle-brained lady (Maureen Stapleton), is repeatedly the object of a nympho's attentions (Joanne Woodward) and meets a sad and tired lady (Anna Magnani) whose husband is dying of cancer. Magnani's character is rather pitiful, as her husband (Victor Jory) is a cancerous man in personality, too. He is cruel, coarse and just plain nasty. And, after a while, Brando and Magnani begin an affair.This might just be my least favorite Tennessee Williams film. I think most of it is because the chemistry between Magnani and Brando seems forced. It also is because the film is rather talky and slow--and with less fireworks than you'd expect from a Williams script. Yes, it's tawdry, but not nearly as tawdry as films like "Baby Doll", "Sweet Bird of Youth" and "A Streetcar Named Desire". I am about to say something that I am sure will ruffle a few feathers--and it's the biggest reason why this movie doesn't work for me. Although Anna Magnani was a huge star for a few years in the US (with this film and her Oscar-winning performance in "The Rose Tattoo"), I have never understood her appeal in these films. While she supposedly exuded sex appeal, I just never saw this at all nor did I understand comments about how great her acting was, as she could barely speak English. And so, the idea of her character having an affair with the much younger Marlon Brando just made no sense to me--and the chemistry wasn't very convincing. I know this sounds harsh--but I think this makes her films age poorly. If you want to see a better Magnani movie, try finding one of her earlier Italian ones--they can be quite good.With a different cast, this would have worked a lot better. And, despite the odd casting and some overacting by Woodward, it's still a decent film. There's enough hypocrisy and sleaze to make Tennessee Williams fans happy and Brando gives one of his better performances. Plus, the ending is a corker.

"The Fugitive Kind" plays like Tennessee Williams' B-side, the second-half of a "Streetcar" double feature... Director Sidney Lumet does a fantastic job tapping into the loneliness, desire, and humanity that were the hallmarks of Williams' writing. And Brando is still smoking from his "Streetcar" heat...Marlon was still in his golden era, and he's the reason to see this movie. His performance here is pure sexual magnetism, as he effortlessly plays a man whose every move oozes eroticism. How much so? At one point in the movie Anna Magnini watches him walk by with a cigarette in his hand and blushes, asking why he's so dirty. At another point, he confesses his gift/curse for being able to "wear women down." Let the levees break...This is the Brando everyone talks about, and every tired cliché is absolutely true: you cannot take your eyes off him. Smoldering, strong, and yet embarrassingly vulnerable- both physically and emotionally. This is the stuff dreams are made of.Joanne Woodward gives a brilliantly naked performance as a beatnik, and she reminded me strongly of Jessica Lange. Anna Magnani is suitably raw, and Victor Jory appropriately evil.The show here is Marlon, and if you don't know why he's considered the best film actor of all time, just take a look at him here.GRADE: B